


Conference

by glim



Series: white city [8]
Category: Merlin (BBC)
Genre: Academia, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-14
Updated: 2010-03-14
Packaged: 2017-10-08 00:12:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/70703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glim/pseuds/glim
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Conference papers, job interviews, and the ensuing anxiety: Merlin and Arthur attend the MLA convention.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Conference

"Were you brilliant?" Merlin asked without moving from his spot on the bed when he heard the door click open.

"Of course I was."

"Did you rip apart everyone else on your panel?"

"… _no_."

"Mm. Yeah, you did."

The sound of running water came from the sink in the hotel room, and Merlin kept his eyes closed as he listened to Arthur wash his hands and then shuffle around the room. Probably getting out his shoes, then his suit jacket, loosening his tie and unbuttoning his cuffs, and stepping over the few articles of clothing Merlin had left scattered around the room when he'd gotten back earlier that afternoon.

He'd had three job interviews already: one at eight o'clock in the morning yesterday, another at same time today, and the last today at noon. And there was no part of Merlin's body that didn't still feel strung out on tension and worry. Not that he could do anything about those interviews now – all he could do was wait and hope that some school needed an expert in nineteenth century poetry with a certain fondness for Chaucer. He'd already had a long, hot shower – New York City was an icy, gloomy place at the end of the year – and had attempted sleep for a few hours while Arthur gave a paper.

Next to Merlin, the bed dipped beneath Arthur's weight and he leaned in to nuzzle through Merlin's shower-damp hair. Arthur made a quiet, pleased sound and nuzzled down lower to tease Merlin's ear with the tip of his nose.

"How did your interviews go? Did you attempt dazzling? You smell good."

"M'not sure that was the best advice you could offer. Be dazzling. Arthur-"

"What?"

"Don't… that feels nice. Today was horrible."

Arthur made another sound, sympathetic this time, and continued to nose against Merlin, gently and affectionately, teasing Merlin until he squirmed in closer to the touch. His hand came to rest at the center of Merlin's chest and rubbed a warm, slow circle there.

"You're not enjoying the Modern Language Association's convention?"

Merlin shook his head and turned to look at Arthur. "I haven't even seen the convention. Just the bleak inside of interview suites. I've hardly even seen New York."

"We'll go out for dinner. I think we both deserve it. That panel I presided over on Restoration Shakespeare yesterday morning was vicious." Arthur smiled, briefly and almost bashfully, and ducked down to press a kiss to Merlin's shoulder. "You'll be fine. Finish your dissertation and get a job this semester…."

The bashful look reappeared and anxiety flickered in Arthur's eyes. They'd already talked this over and decided that Merlin would apply for any position in which he was interested, even if it meant him moving far away from Villa Alba University, even if it meant he and Arthur only got to see each other when at least one of them was on break. They knew other couples – professors and students – who had to structure their relationships and travel time around the academic calendar. They could do this, Merlin knew, that wasn't a question.

It was more a question of wanting to do this, and after a few years together and a few years longer than that doing graduate work, Merlin couldn't find any way around wanting both a decent job and a life with his partner.

Well. They'd make it work. Merlin shifted to face Arthur on the hotel bed and hooked one of his ankles around Arthur's. "Hey. I don't want to have this conversation again, all right? It's…"

"I know. I don't either. I can't help thinking about it, though."

Merlin leaned in to press his lips to Arthur's and nudged at him until he started nuzzling against Merlin, teasing around his ear and kissing the side of his neck.

"Don't need to think about it now, Arthur. I kind of think we'll have years to keep thinking about jobs and flats and plans for winter break."

Against the side of his neck, Merlin felt more than heard Arthur let out a slow sigh of relief. They hadn't talked about not staying together, because, really, was that even a consideration?

But it felt good to say that aloud, to tell Arthur that they'd stay together and make it work.

Arthur's breath against the side of his neck felt good, too, dear and familiar, and Merlin brushed his mouth against Arthur's hair with a small sigh of his own. "We have time before dinner…"

"You don't want to see the city?" Arthur's fingers found the edge of Merlin's tee shirt and petted his stomach. "Hm?"

"It's _freezing_ outside. We can look at the city from the window of whatever ridiculous restaurant you pick out."

When Arthur laughed, the sound was low and deep, and a few degrees of tension melted from Merlin's body. The stroking of warm fingers against his skin helped, too, and Merlin gave Arthur another nudge lest he stop the touching and stroking.

Arthur smoothed his palm over Merlin's stomach and held it there to let Merlin stretch and settle back into slow-moving affection. He could bring Merlin off quick and desperate, have him gasping into Arthur's neck and then coming into his hand, he could absolutely do that after their years together and the knowledge of each other they'd gained in that time. But, no, he just kept on rubbing his hand over Merlin's stomach, brushing kisses over his ear or his temple, and eventually slipping his fingertips up to tease around one nipple or trace along his ribcage to bring a shiver over Merlin.

Only when Arthur had Merlin hard, his skin flushed with need, his breath prone to catch and stutter in his throat, only when Merlin tangled his fingers in Arthur's button-up shirt and arched himself in to rub against Arthur – only then did Arthur slide off the bed to remove the rest of his clothes.

He dropped the shirt and undershirt to the floor at the foot of the bed, stepped out of his trousers and shorts and socks, and paused to palm his own erection.

Merlin leaned up on his own elbows, breath doing that stuttery thing again, and nodded at Arthur. "Keep… keep on going."

This was good, too. The clean, crisp, foreign scent of the hotel bedding and Merlin's body warm against the sheets. The mess of papers on the desk, the crumpled clothing on the floor, Arthur's tie on the dresser and Merlin's suit jacket draped over the desk chair. The clash of habitual things and unfamiliar spaces. The sight of Arthur, hand on his cock, lips parted around a soft sighing breath, hair rumpled and eyes slipping shut, standing next to a bed they'd only slept in for two nights and would still have that sharp scent of clean linen beneath their bodies tonight.

Arthur fisted his cock, brought himself to full, fast arousal, his erection straining towards his belly when he loosened his grip and let his hand fall to stroke down his thigh. Through slit eyelids he glanced at Merlin, ready to touch himself again, but the brush of Merlin's toes against his leg had him moving back onto the bed.

Where he crawled slowly up the length of Merlin's body, pressing a kiss to his knee, to the top of his thigh, to the tip of his cock through the material of Merlin's boxers. He nuzzled in against Merlin one more time, nosing against his cock with the same teasing gentleness he'd used earlier, and ignored Merlin's pleas to get him out of his tee shirt and shorts long enough to make Merlin try and twist away from Arthur and do it himself.

"Stop it. I can't undress you if you're being impossible." Arthur mouthed along the curve of Merlin's hip as he tugged off his shorts, then settled in close to him, not bothering with his shirt. "Later."

Merlin opened his mouth to protest, but stayed silent as his body arched, curved up off the mattress at the slide of Arthur's body up the length of his own and at that moment when they fit and then moved together.

It was Arthur's hand on his cock that brought Merlin off, Arthur touching himself again and then touching Merlin, wrapping his hand around them both and angling his wrist in that way that was sure to have Merlin coming. Arthur spilled himself over Merlin and over his already-slick hand and kept touching the both of them until the last gasping moments of climax passed.

Arthur rested his head against Merlin's now bare chest and his arm at Merlin's waist after cleaning them up, content to have his hair petted while Merlin half-dozed.

They'd go out for a late dinner, Merlin decided, and maybe talk about the job halfway across the country that he might get over a bottle of wine, then rush through the icy wind back to the hotel, half-drunk and happy to be going home tomorrow.


End file.
